5-DOF Robot Manipulator Modelling, Development and Automation using LabVIEW, Vision Assistant and Arduino

Today's large-scale manufacturing industries rely heavily on use of robotic manipulators to perform various operations. In this work, a 5 degrees-of-freedom (5-DOF) robot manipulator is designed, fabricated and integrated. The forward and inverse kinematics analyses of the manipulator are presented in this paper. Simulations and modelling of the robot manipulator were performed using MATLAB, SolidWorks and LabVIEW to validate the mathematical models. Further, the control system GUI was developed using LabVIEW and the controller was implemented using Arduino Mega, stepper motors and electronic circuitry. A robotic vision system was developed. The acquired images were transmitted wirelessly to LabVIEW, where Vision Development Module was used for image calibration, processing and detection of pre-defined objects. As a result, the objects positions with reference to the robot base were obtained. The vision system as part of the robot control system, was consequently, used to control objects pick-and-place routines. Error and positioning accuracy experiments were also performed and results were analyzed to evaluate the accuracy of the developed robot manipulator.